Desperation
by Grace Kwan
Summary: Scipio has turned back into a kid  14 years old  a year after the merry-go-round fell apart. He ran away from his father and runs into a girl, also running away from her father. You don't have to be beautiful, talented, or heroic for a boy to fall for you
1. Running Away

Chasey huddled in her room, at the foot of her bed under the window, cowering already. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Her father would come home any time now, drunk and menacingly violent. Her mother was still out on her business trip, leaving only Chasey to serve as her father's punching bag.

Chasey tensed as she heard the front door swing open and hit the wall with a loud bang. Next came her dad's unstable staggers.

"CHASEY!" he bellowed. It could be Chasey's own imagination, but the walls and floor reverberated at his shout.

Trying not to whimper, Chasey stumbled down the stairs to her own doom. Locks of orange-blond hair already stuck to her damp, cold skin.

Before even realizing she'd reached the bottom of the staircase, Chasey was knocked out of her thoughts by her father. A rock-hard fist slammed across her jawbone, causing her to stagger backwards and nearly fall down. Chasey barely managed to keep her balance; she couldn't fall. If she did, she'd be subject to her dad's deadly kicks.

Now whimpering openly, Chasey tentatively touched her tear-stained jaw.

Her father advanced.

With a cry, Chasey backed up against the wall. She glanced over to her right; the front door, open wide, was only about five meters away.

Much too drunk, Chasey's father hadn't noticed her obvious glance at the door. He stumbled forward toward his daughter, fists held ready.

Screaming, Chasey tore away from the wall and bolted for the door.

"'Ey! You! Come back 'ere!"

Heart thudding much too hard for her liking, Chasey sprinted down the complicated, twisting alleyways of Venice. Adrenaline was pumped fast and hard through her body, so much that she could no longer feel anything. She let the adrenaline take over her mind and her body, letting it lead her. When Chasey was finally sure that her father would no longer be able to find her, at least for tonight, she let the adrenaline slack off, but kept on running as it felt good.

She ran at the same speed for a while until she was suddenly aware of someone else running at her from the opposite direction, and he was a bit too close for her to avoid now.

...

Scipio's jaw clenched as he heard his dad's loud footfalls just outside of his door. Swinging his knapsack over his shoulder, he stepped right out to meet him.

Dottore Massimo strode up to his son angrily. "Where is it?" he demanded in a harsh, loud voice, right in between yelling and being deadly quiet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Scipio answered calmly.

The Dottore smacked his hand against his son's pale cheek as hard as he could and slammed him against the wall, grasping his collar. "WHERE IS IT?" he roared.

Scipio's face was now deadly pale, save the red spot where he had been slapped. "I don't know," he breathed, trying to hold back his tears.

Suddenly Scipio shoved his father away from himself with as much strength as he could muster. He sprinted at top speed down the corridor, slid down the banister while praying that he wouldn't fall off, and bolted right out the front doors.

He ran at this speed along the familiar alleys toward his favourite place in the world.

As he ran, Scipio pulled a black sweatshirt out of his bag and threw it on, wriggling his arms out while turning a corner. Next came an all-too-familiar black mask with a long beak curving out from it. Smiling for the first time that day (and night), he slipped the mask over his head.

Suddenly, Scipio saw a bright orange flash of hair, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground, two of his fingers in terrible pain and a bruise already starting to swell on his knee.

Remembering the orange hair, Scipio scrambled to his hands and knees and crawled over to a girl lying on the cold ground. She looked about fourteen or thirteen, his age, had straight, shoulder-length orange-blond hair with a very neat fringe, a thin nose with an unattractive bump on the bridge, and very big, dark lips. He couldn't see her eyes, as they were closed.

She was not the prettiest girl Scipio had ever seen.

There was a red scrape across the girl's forehead, almost between her barely visible eyebrows, where Scipio's mask had hit her. That and the hard ground combined must have knocked her out.

Feeling guilty, Scipio awkwardly kneeled and shook her. Her body was limp. He clapped loudly right beside her ear and shook harder, but received no response.

Finally giving up, Scipio leaned over and slid his arms under her knees and shoulders. He hefted her up easily and started jogging again, this time slower. For the first time ever, Scipio was glad his father had forced him to work out since he was eleven.

...

"I wonder what's holding Scip up," Hornet said worriedly. Her eyebrows were knitted together, her hands on the window ledge.

"Don't worry, Hornet, he's probably just having some trouble with his dad," Prosper sighed, putting his book down. "Honestly, why are you so moody these days?"

As if to prove his point, Hornet whipped around, instantly changing from worried to venomously angry. She stamped her foot, sparks flying from her eyes. "Do you have any idea how that father of his treats him? Do you even care about Scipio at all? Do you know how hard it is for him to..."

Her rant went on and on until at last a pounding on the fire exit door floated up to the children on the balcony.

Prosper, Hornet, Riccio, Bo, and Mosca went flying down the stairs to fling open the door in relief.

"What happened to our password?" Scipio asked, clearly annoyed. He pushed past his gaping friends and turned to face them. "Any spare mattresses?"

Hornet immediately scrambled to pull out their last mattress, while Prosper found some of Hornet's old sweats and a shirt for the new girl at Hornet's order.

"Who's she?" Riccio demanded, watching as Scipio gently laid the girl down on ratty mattress.

Bo hurried over with a blanket taken from Mosca's (who usually slept with extra blankets) bed.

"I don't know. I ran into her...er...a bit too hard," Scipio explained, pointing out the gash on the girl's forehead. A purple bruise was beginning to blossom around it.

"She must be freezing by now!" Hornet rushed over and pulled the girl's muddy shoes off to reveal unusually pale feet. She slipped her warmest socks onto the icy feet. Next she fitted Prosper's mittens over her hands and gave up her own blanket so that the girl could warm up. Finally she cleaned and stuck a Band-Aid over the gash and sat back.

"I guess we can ice her bruise later, when she's all warmed up and awake," Hornet sighed. Then she turned her gaze to Scipio. "What happened!" She was staring at his reddened cheek and ripped collar.

With a heaving sigh, Scipio dropped himself in one of the cinema's plush red velvet chairs. "My father happened," he said glumly. "And I guess hers happened too." He jabbed a thumb over at the girl he had just brought home.

Much to her friends' alarm, Hornet suddenly burst into tears and ran upstairs to her bed.

"Er...shall I go after her?" Prosper asked awkwardly, feeling it his responsibility as he was Hornet's best friend.

He silently agreed as the others slowly shook their heads.

...

Chasey turned over under her warm blankets. _What happened last night?_ All she remembered was her father hitting her, and herslef running away. After a minute of thinking, she remember the boy, and a stinging pain on her forehead.

Chasey slowly became aware that she was awake. She forced open her mucky eyelids and blinked for a few moments. The first thing she saw was a black ceiling far away, and a blurry face looking at her uncertainly. Chasey blinked again, and the face came into focus. It belonged to a girl with huge gray eyes and long, braided dark hair with a fringe.

Chasey's eyes widened. "Where am I?" she cried in alarm.

The dark-haired girl turned and called over her shoulder, "She's awake!" Then she switched her attention to Chasey. "Hi," she said kindly. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. Scip here brought you home after he, uh, bumped into you last night."

Chasey looked up and saw a boy about her age walking up to her and the girl speaking. He had dark brown hair and even darker, melted-chocolate eyes. In his hand was a black knapsack and a mask with a long bird's beak curving out of it. Chasey vaguely remember a long black thing stabbing into her forehead.

"Hello. I'm sorry about last night," he apologized, holding out his hand for Chasey to shake. "I'm Scipio, but since you're here, you may address me as the Thief Lord."


	2. The Star Palace

The first thing Chasey noticed about Scipio was that he had the nicest eyes she'd ever seen. That and the hair. His hair was glossy, shaggy, and flawless. She'd never seen such perfect boy-hair.

"Chasey Corvette." Chasey shook Scipio's hand and smiled, feeling extremely self-conscious. "Thief Lord? I didn't know he actually existed." She cast Scipio an admiring look.

Scipio smiled back at Chasey. He noticed that she had a warm touch. Now that she wasn't so freezing cold, her lips were a lighter pink, which made them look plump and cute instead of just huge.

But that was her only pretty feature. Her eyes, now that they were open, were light brown, not quite hazel, round, and small. They seemed to clash with the rest of her face. Freckles dotted her skin randomly, which made her look awkward. And her hair was as orange and thick as ever, just the same as he'd seen it last night. In conclusion, Chasey wasn't even as pretty as Hornet, and Hornet's appearance was rather dull, if not ugly.

"If I may ask, why am I here?" Chasey asked timidly, with an equally shy smile. "And, where am I, for that matter?"

"You're in the Stella!" A cute little blond boy jumped down off the stage, followed by a boy with hair even messier that Harry Potter's. Next came a boy with shaggy brown hair, yelling, "Bo, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that!"

Chasey smiled at their antics. "The Stella? Isn't that the old abandoned theater?

"It is," a black boy confirmed. He was hunched in a red velvet seat, poking an old radio with a screwdriver. He looked strong and kind. "I'm Mosca, by the way." He gave Chasey a quick smile and returned to fiddling with his radio.

"I'm Bo." The little boy beamed up at Chasey angelically.

"I'm…Prosper…" The brunette boy panted, catching up with Bo. "I'm…his older…brother." He jabbed a finger in Bo's direction.

"Riccio," the messy-haired boy said gleefully as he emptied a bag of wallets and comic books onto the stage.

"I'm Hornet," the dark-haired girl said. She smiled at Chasey.

_Those must be stolen_, Chasey thought, watching as Riccio opened wallet after wallet, emptying all the cash out of them.

"All right, who's ready for today's loot?" Scipio announced with a grin, holding up the same knapsack he'd run away with.

Everyone, including Chasey, scrambled to watch as Scipio dumped the bag's contents out onto the floor.

"Wow!" Chasey breathed, eyeing the gold, silver, pearls, diamonds, and brass. "You stole all that?"

Scipio avoided everyone's eyes as he murmured his reply, "That'll be the last time I steal from my father's house."

Hornet looked up at Scipio in alarm. "Why?" she asked, concerned.

"I've run away," Scipio sighed, running his fingers through his oh-so-shiny hair.

"You're rich?" Chasey asked in surprise. She wouldn't have guessed, with his worn-out jeans, muddy shoes, and beaten black coat.

"Yeah," Scipio answered in a tone that made it clear he didn't want to talk about it.

Chasey turned away, embarrassed.

"So you're gonna live with us?" Riccio demanded, sorting his newly stolen comics into a neat pile.

Scipio nodded curtly and changed the subject. "All right. Today I want Riccio and Mosca to stake out in front of the big house we've been keeping an eye on for three days. Spy through the windows too, and make sure you've got the residents' schedules down good. Prosper, take this loot to Barbarossa. I don't want less than two hundred thousand lire for it, got that?"

Prosper nodded and took the bag.

Scipio turned to Chasey. "Chasey, why don't you go with Prosper? You could get used to our ways while you're at it." He winked, and Chasey suddenly felt like fainting.

"Er…well…I guess," Chasey mumbled, staring at her fuzzy-socked feet.

"Hornet, you and I will do the shopping, since I've nothing else to do now that I don't…go home," Scipio continued, sounding slightly uncomfortable.

Hornet nodded understandingly, apparently in a much better mood than last night.

"All right, then," Prosper grinned. He looked at Chasey. "C'mon, Chasey, no time to waste."

Beaming, Chasey slid her feet into her now-dry sneakers. She usually didn't approve of stealing and business like this, and would've collapsed right there and then if you asked her to steal, but now she felt like part of the group, and that seemed to evade her fears.

Running into the cool air after Prosper sharpened her mind a bit. Chasey smiled at the sun, the swaying treetops, and even a couple on a park bench. There was only one word to describe what she was feeling right now.

Happy.


	3. A Disastrous Crush

"Ready?" Prosper had his hand on the glass door of one of the most popular souvenir shops in Venice.

Chasey nodded nervously. She was no good at anything, and she doubted that this was going to work out well. However, from what she had worked out from Prosper's modest way of speaking, Prosper was the gang's best haggler, so she decided to just leave everything to him, although she felt a little guilty.

Prosper smiled understandingly, as if reading Chasey's thoughts. "Don't worry, I know it's your first time, so just watch me, okay?" And he pushed the door open with the tinkling of a bell.

Chasey immediately turned to the wall and stuck her tongue out at a mask that hung there, like Prosper said Riccio always did.

Prosper gave her a thumbs-up and continued to maneuver his way through the racks, stands, and shelves of the jam-packed shop.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," a gruff voice called from the back. Barbarossa appeared, moving surprisingly speedily through his shop for such a fat old man. "Come along, now!" he said sharply, beckoning Chasey and Prosper.

The children followed Barbarossa into his office in the back of the store and took their seats in front of the cluttered desk.

Once Barbarossa had cleared up a space on his desk, Prosper hefted the bag up and poured its contents out onto the wood.

Barbarossa tried to hide it, but there was a hungry gleam in his eye as he sifted through the loot. Finally, he lifted his gaze from the gold and folded his hands. "My best offer is one hundred fifty thousand lire," he announced.

"One hundred fifty?" Prosper said testily. "I don't think so. Look!" He shook a golden locket with emerald jewels set in it in Barbarossa's face. "This locket itself is probably worth more than half of that."

Barbarossa stroked his beard angrily. "Fine! Two hundred thousand!"

"Three hundred or no deal."

Chasey was amazed. It was as if Prosper had known what Barbarossa was about to say; Barbarossa had barely finished his sentence before Prosper had answered.

Barbarossa slammed his meaty hands on the table and stood up. "Two hundred fifty!"

Prosper stood up as well, but instead of answering, he started to put the treasures back in Scipio's bag. Without hesitation, he turned to Chasey and said, "Let's go."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Barbarossa opened his drawer and fished out three wads of money. "Three hundred thousand lire!"

Prosper smiled triumphantly and passed Barbarossa the bag.

"I'm sorry," Chasey sighed as she and Prosper exited Barbarossa's shop.

"Sorry for what?" Prosper looked at Chasey inquisitively.

"Sorry for not helping," Chasey responded, wringing her hands.

Prosper laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it. I always do all the talking, and the people who come with me just, you know, accompany me. Really, it's no big deal." He smiled and me. "C'mon, let's run home and show Scip and the others what we've got!"

As they entered the abandoned cinema, the delicious aroma of hot cinnamon buns and warm lattes greeted Chasey and Prosper.

Hornet dashed over to Chasey, swinging a white shopping bag as she did. "Here you go, Chasey! We got you jeans, a jacket, and two shirts. We were going to get you new shoes, but then there wouldn't have been enough money for the food." She grinned apologetically and handed Chasey the bag.

"Thank you!" Chasey squealed as she opened the bag and saw the brand-new clothes inside.

"No problem!" Hornet grinned.

"I picked out the shirts, since Hornet has no taste."

Chasey jumped and turned bright red when she realized who was standing just a foot behind her. "Oh!" she squeaked. "Er, thanks. I'll just, um, put these away…" With that, she ran up the stairs, leaving a bemused Scipio standing there.

_What was that all about?_ Scipio wondered as he removed his coat and joined the others in lighting the candles.

At the same time, Chasey was curled up in a ball on her bed, mentally slapping herself. _He would never like you if you just keep acting like that! Wait…why do I even want him to like me? Oh, yeah, because I have developed a huge crush on a handsome guy who would never like me if I was the last girl left on Earth._

Chasey fell asleep with a single tear running down her cheek.

Meanwhile, the others were tucking in to their delicious lunch without a care in the world.

Scipio didn't eat much. _Where's Chasey?_ he wondered. _Should I go look for her?_ He shook off the thought and bit into a cinnamon bun. But he couldn't help wondering if it was something he did, scaring Chasey off like that.


	4. The Raid

Sighing, Chasey turned over under her warm blanket. In her half-conscious state, she heard footsteps click and clack closer to her. The next thing she next, someone's warm grip was over her shoulder and shaking her gently while warm peppermint breath blew into her face.

"Chasey? Chasey, wake up. We're raiding the house now."

Chasey reluctantly blinked and sat up, trying to smooth down her hair. She then realized it was Scipio's breath in her face and immediately felt her eyes water warmly, a sign that she was blushing, hard.

Turning away, Chasey pulled on her new jeans over the cotton leggings she was wearing, slid her feet into her damp sneakers, and wiggled into a warm black sweater presented to her by Hornet which smelled suspiciously like Scipio. She got to her feet, stretched, and walked over to Hornet, who was also waiting for the others to get ready.

"Strange, huh, how they always say it takes girls longer to get ready to go out?" Hornet grinned.

"No, not really." Once again, Scipio was too close for comfort to Chasey.

She inched away as conspicuously as she could and blushed. Again. Ugh, she was never going to have to use blush when putting on makeup when she was older.

…

Soon the seven friends were standing in front of a moonlit mansion.

"These people are obviously easy targets," Riccio reported.

Mosca nodded. "Obviously rich airheads," he added. "Look, right there." He pointed. "The window's open, right in front of a tree. It looks easy to climb."

Hornet snorted. "For _you_ it is." Everyone knew that Hornet was no good at the physical stuff. She was more like the brain of the group.

Mosca shrugged. "Well, I'll help you, then! Come on!" He easily vaulted the gate, as with Scipio. Riccio, Prosper, Bo, Hornet, and Chasey moved a hollowed piece of wood under the stone wall and used it to climb over.

Soon, they were all up crouched in the tree Mosca had pointed out. Chasey had taken extra long to help up, and she was currently trying to hide her ashamed face behind a particularly leafy branch. Realizing no one could see her in the dark anyways, Chasey pushed the leaves away from her face.

Mosca was helping Riccio to quietly climb in through the small window, which turned out to be directly above a shower. As predicted, Chasey had most trouble squirming through the window and made a thud while landing.

Feeling her face heat up uncomfortably, Chasey followed her friends into the house, with Scipio in the lead. They entered a room of what looked like a collection of valuables and heirlooms, displayed in antique cabinets, glass shelves, and lit-up display cases. There were even a few pedestals here and there, showing off golden crowns on velvet cushions or museum-worthy ancient books.

Mosca immediately started trying to deactivate any security systems, while Riccio stuffed anything in reach and without protection into his sack. Hornet thumbed, wide-eyed, through an old-looking tome, and Prosper walked the perimeter of the room, searching for cameras.

Chasey stood there in front of a wooden cabinet, feeling extremely stupid and useless. _Maybe they shouldn't even have brought me along_, she thought sadly, biting her lip and shoving her hands in her pockets.

Scipio saw Chasey and tapped her shoulder. "Would you like to help Riccio with nicking all the things you can?" He handed her a pair of black wool gloves. "Here, use these so you don't leave fingerprints all over the place." He smiled kindly.

Chasey stared into his deliciously warm eyes, tempted to stand there all night, just gazing at them. She nearly dropped the gloves she had just taken. "Er…all right," she said, embarrassed.

Standing on her toes, Chasey reached up and grabbed a silver cup from a gray stone pedestal. It made a grating noise as it scraped the stone as Chasey pulled it down.

"SHH! Chasey!" Riccio hissed. "You'll wake the whole house!"

Casting her gaze downward, Chasey shuffled toward the door, dropping the cup in Riccio's bag as she passed him. "I'll wait in the bathroom," she said softly, blinking back tears.

"Chasey?" Bo said in a small voice.

Chasey ignored him and walked on.

Scipio watched her go, feeling a strange emotion course through his body. It seemed to radiate from his chest. Was it pity? It felt like that. But as he went back to work digging through a cabinet, he couldn't help but feel that pity wasn't it.

…

Chasey crouched in the polished white bathtub, letting the tears flow limitlessly. _I'm useless,_ she thought. _I'm stupid, I'm ugly, and nobody likes me. No one tried to stop me back there. Well, except Bo, but he would try to stop the worst person in the world. No one cares about me. Everyone is better off without me. I'm just an annoying tagalong they couldn't let die._ She wiped her nose on her jacket sleeve, as sniffing would sound extra loud in the bathroom and might wake the house's residents up.

Just then, there were footsteps outside in the hallway, heading right at the bathroom.

_Oh, it must be Scipio and the others. They're probably done stealing,_ Chasey thought. She quickly swiped the tears off her face. She stood up, prepared to step out from behind the shower curtain.

The lights went on, illuminating the polished marble sink and floor.

_Wait a minute,_ Chasey thought, panicked, _they wouldn't turn on the lights!_ She stood there, heart beating furiously. Adrenaline coursed through her so excessively it clouded her vision and prevented her from moving any part of her body.

Much too late, Chasey realized she was breathing far too loudly. The shower curtain was whipped back, and Chasey heard a loud bang and herself scream. The next thing she knew, white light forced her eyelids apart and she was staring at a white ceiling.


	5. Rescue

Chasey blinked a couple times. Panicking, she tried to push herself up on the uncomfortable white cot she was lying on, but a sharp pain shot through her shoulder, causing her to gasp out loud and clutch at the spot that was still stinging.

Chasey's right shoulder was wrapped in crisp white gauze. She didn't dare unwrap it to take a peek. Her face felt clammy and was probably pale.

She was wearing a hospital gown, and her sneakers, with clean white-and-gray socks stuffed in them, were neatly lined in front of her bedside table. Surrounding the table and bed was a greenish gray curtain hanging from a bended metal rod, and a window on the left side of Chasey's cot told her the sun had just finished setting, and it was almost nighttime.

_I'm in a hospital,_ Chasey realized, watching white shoes and the hem of a white dress swish past under the curtain. She shook her head and tried to remember past running to the bathroom in tears. She remembered the lights going on…and a bang. A loud bang. It was a gunshot. Chasey gingerly touched her wrapped-up shoulder.

Just then, the curtain was ripped back with a flourish, making Chasey jump a mile. A nurse with shiny brown hair twisted in a perfect bun stood in front of Chasey's bed with a snow-white smile parting her glossy lips.

"Good evening…Chasey Corvette!" The nurse checked her clipboard. "I'm Nurse Sarah. I'm here tonight to check your shoulder!" The overly cheery nurse (who frankly talked as if she were speaking to a toddler) plopped herself onto Chasey's bed and held a clipboard at the ready.

"What happened?" Chasey asked, rubbing her eyes with her left hand.

"You were shot," Nurse Sarah explained, scribbling something onto the paper on her clipboard, although Chasey didn't see the point. "So we transported you here to the hospital. The hospital was closing by the time we identified you, so your father will be coming tomorrow afternoon to pick you up!"

Chasey felt the blood drain from her face. "What? My father's coming?"

"Oh, yes! He'll take you home hopefully tomorrow night. The bullet didn't go in very deep and will be fine if you just treat it right at home." Nurse Sarah Bella grinned. "Well, are you feeling okay? I think you look just fine. Do you need anything to drink or eat?"

"No, thank you." Chasey was even more panicked now. Her breaths felt shallow, and her head was swimming. How was she going to escape this time?

As soon as the nurse left and the lights dimmed, Chasey turned over under her covers and let the tears stream down into her pillow. She couldn't go back to her dad, she couldn't. She knew this was all too good to be true: finding Scipio, living happily with her friends in the Stella. Who knows, they might not even be worried about her.

Chasey flipped over again so that she was facing the now dark ceiling. _Why me?_ Why did she always get all the bad luck? She was ugly, abused, and unpopular. She was your typical cliché unpopular girl in a book.

At first Chasey thought she'd cry herself to sleep, but she couldn't sleep. There was a feeling inside herself, nagging at her. Finally, she pushed the covers away and slid into her new socks and shoes. She found her sweater and jeans insde the drawer of her bedside table and put them on.

Chasey slipped out from behind her curtain and tiptoed out of the peaceful ward, trying not to flinch when she moved her arms to keep her balance. She quietly descended flight after flight of stairs until she finally reached the lobby of the hospital. Letting herself out through the emergency fire escape, Chasey slipped into the frigid night.

Scared, she walked in the direction she hoped was right. She ended up at the front entrance of the hospital. Chasey sat down on the front steps and buried her face in her knees, hugging them. She let her tears flow and warm her icy skin. She shouldn't have come out. Now she was probably going to freeze or get kidnapped.

_Chasey._

Chasey lifted her head. It must've been wishful thinking, but she thought she heard a certain male voice whisper her name.

"Chasey!" the same voice hissed, louder.

Chasey sprang up from her seat on the step and looked around wildly. She winced as a shot of hot pain went through her shoulder.

There was a rustling coming from a bush to the side. Chasey advanced, heart beating wildly. Two familiar faces popped up from behind the bush.

"We've come to get you! Come on, hurry, it's a long way back and we can't waste time."


End file.
